A Marauder Proposal
by purple-suit
Summary: Sirius, Remus and Peter observe James in his time of need- during preparations for his marriage proposal.
1. James: The Ring

**A Marauder Proposal**

**Chapter 1: James- The Ring**

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><p>Westwerk is responsible for this chapter. The Phantom will write the next. We do not own Harry Potter, obviously and unfortunately.<p>

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><p>James was going to do it.<p>

He was.

He just had to get up the nerve to. After all, he was already standing in front of one of the jewelry stores in Hogsmeade, ready to step inside.

Or maybe not ready since he felt like his limbs got too heavy to even move.

"Come on, Prongs," Sirius said, and then James was jolted forward and felt his best friend's hands clutched tightly on his shoulders. "Be a man! You've been talking about this for months now!"

"More like years," Remus said as he put a hand on Sirius's shoulder to stop him from pushing James, who was actually fighting quite hard not to give in to Sirius' pushing with his feet held stiffly in place against the dirt road. "Sirius, stop it."

James felt one last shove before Sirius gave up.

"You were fine before this," said Sirius, quite abruptly growing more earnest in James' ears.

"I know! I just- it's more real now!" James said with exasperation. "I'm standing here, about to go into this store and buy the one ring that will mark the rest of my life."

James caught sight of Sirius and Remus glancing at each other. He looked away, back up at the store's sign- Bartleby and Jennings.

"Are you… regretting this?"

James turned and looked back up at Remus, who was quite taller than him. For some reason, he felt overwhelmed from Sirius and Remus standing so close. He'd never been claustrophobic before, so he didn't understand why he felt like that now.

Slowly, he took in a deep breath.

Was he regretting this? No, he couldn't be. He loved Lily, and Lily loved him. He wanted to do this. Lily wanted to do this. It was time to make a move. Even though he knew they probably wouldn't get married for another year or so, he still felt like he had to propose at some point. Why not now when he was standing there, with the money to buy a nice ring for her and his undying love for her?

He looked back at Remus and Sirius and smiled.

He shook his head, took a deep breath, and put one foot forward. He could do this. He loved her. He could see her in his mind, with her beautiful auburn hair and smile- actually, he could all the moments in his mind that she ever smiled so fully. They were countless and the greatest thing he had ever seen.

He could even see himself getting down on one knee and seeing that wide smile again as he did.

But what if she didn't smile? What if her fiery temper flared up and she thought he was completely mad for proposing? What if she really didn't love him as much as he thought?

He brought his foot back.

"Oh, come on, James. Go!"

Sirius pushed him again, and the door jumped right in his face. How did that happen? He didn't really take that many steps forward, did he?

James saw Remus's scarred hand grab the flourished gold handle and Sirius pushed him in.

The store was too quiet. At least, James thought as he looked around at the display tables, there weren't any girls hanging around: ones that would tell Lily that they saw James in there looking at rings.

"May I help you?"

James jolted and backed into Remus, who grabbed his upper arms to steady him. James locked eyes with the wizard before him, who had just seemed to appear in the middle of the store. The man had long graying hair, wore a waistcoat and gray pants, and held his hands behind his back.

"Er, yeah," James said, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand. "I'm looking for a ring."

"And what kind of ring would that be?" the man said almost coyly, as if he already knew. James wondered if girls just didn't go into this shop because of this man. He seemed even stranger than Ollivander did.

"An engagement ring," James said.

Then, the man smiled kindly "Ah, there's a lucky girl!" he said, walking swiftly over to the display table with what seemed like a thousand rings glittering by themselves. There really was a big selection of them, rows and rows of them that James actually felt overwhelmed. "Have a look."

Sirius reached down to touch one, but immediately pulled his hand back as if he'd been shocked. He looked down at James like a wounded puppy. "Oy! What was that?"

"Sorry, boy, only the customer can touch," the man said, patting Sirius' shoulder. Sirius stepped away from the man and sent James a look that clearly said to James, Maybe not this store.

But, James was in here and if he left, he felt like he'd never get up the courage to come into a jewelry store again.

James shook his head. Sirius sighed, stuffing his hands in the pocket of his cloak, and leaned down to have a closer look at the rings with his black hair falling across his face.

James did the same, studying each of the rings.

Too many stones. Diamond too big. No way. Ugly color.

The three boys probably stood there for a very long time, staring at the hundreds of rings laying in their holsters.

"James," Remus said.

He looked toward the ring that Remus pointed at and immediately reached out to touch it.

The diamond with emeralds surrounding it seemed to sparkle even brighter than any of the other rings. It didn't sparkle, exactly- instead, it glowed. He didn't know how Remus spotted it out of the hundreds of other rings, but he knew it was perfect for Lily. The mix of stones felt special to him. He didn't know how, but he couldn't not look at it.

He touched it and somehow the ring actually felt warm. The one beside it he'd knocked as he reached for the one Remus pointed out was cold, but this one felt as if he'd touched his wand for the first time.

"This one," James said immediately.

He couldn't look away from it.

"Ah, nice choice," the man said. "Wonderful. Would you like me to wrap it up?"

James nodded without even realizing it.

Now he didn't understand why he'd been so nervous about it. This one seemed to be meant for him and Lily. He almost didn't want to give it up to the man, even if he'd just put it in the jewelry box and let James have it. He didn't want it to leave his sight until he gave it to Lily.

He paid for it, not even caring how much it cost. Actually, he couldn't even remember how many galleons he'd given over to that man once he stepped out of the jewelry shop. He was just too awestruck that the ring was finally in his hand.

It was real. He was going to do it.

Sirius hugged him with one arm. "That man was right, Lily's a lucky girl!"

James smiled so widely that Sirius laughed and mocked it. "Let's go find Wormtail," he said. "Tell him the news! How much d'you want to bet he's buying his weight in candy?"

The three actually did find Peter in Honeydukes, and with protest from Peter who was in fact buying a large bag worth of candy, they dragged him out of it to tell him the news as they walked back up to the castle.

"And there was really creepy guy there!" Sirius said, smiling. "You would have wet your pants!"

"Padfoot, stop. You're just angry because that his magical security shocked you. Just show him the ring, James," Remus said.

James did while Sirius trying to wrestle Remus to the ground for saying such a thing. But James just ignored them as he held onto the box tightly, not allowing Peter's hand to come anywhere close to the box.

"She'll like that," Peter said, reaching his hand down into his bag. "How are you going to propose?"

"Oy! You never did tell us, Prongs," Sirius said, laughing as he let go of Remus finally and Remus pushed him back as he laughed as well. "How? Take her down for a nice picnic on the lake side?"

James shook his head. "I haven't decided yet. I was thinking maybe something Muggle- go to a cinema or a park in London."

"Muggle?" Peter said, scoffing as he pulled out a chocolate frog. "Not anything traditional?"

James sent Peter a slight glare, not understanding what was so wrong with something Muggle. "I want something special. Not something everyone else does, Wormtail."

Peter frowned. James just chose to ignore him.

"What do you think?" James asked Remus and Sirius.

"I'd say Muggle," Remus said. "Lily would like having a bit of her up bringing during something this important."

"Yeah, but make it magical as well," Sirius said. "A nice moonlit- not full moon, of course- stroll in a park with fairy lights that glow as you walk toward the pond. I personally enjoy running around in Hyde Park, so it would be, you know, beautiful with the lights."

"As a dog?" asked Peter.

"As a dog. There are lots of friendly, unleashed ones in there."

James smiled, remembering once how Sirius thought it was a good idea to go to London the summer before. James has pretended Padfoot was his dog and watched how he seemed to have the time of his life interacting with the other dogs around. James still wasn't sure if Sirius could understand the other dogs, but seeing Sirius run around so freely made James happy.

"I like that magic idea," James said. He'd honestly hadn't really given much thought into it. He just knew it would be something in London. "But if she ever learns that the fairy lights were your idea-"

"Girls like sparkles!" Sirius said earnestly. "She'll think it romantic without even thinking about who thought to do it. All on you, Prongs, like it wasn't Remus who also found that ring for her."

Remus looked sideways at Sirius, but seemed to just ignore him as he turned to James again. "Lily will know we helped you, so just do what you like or want."

"I still say go with traditional!" Peter said.

Sirius just hit him in the arm and then reached into his bag for a piece of candy, which Peter reluctantly allowed. "Let him do what he wants, Wormtail."

James just shook his head and opened the ring case again to study the small emeralds and the diamond- which was not too big, nor too small.

It was perfect.

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><p>When the four boys got up to their dormitory, James knew, even though he didn't want to, he had to put the ring somewhere safe. Who knew how fast he could loose it, like how he always managed to loose his potions book and find it in random places in the castle. He couldn't risk carrying it around, so he stooped in front of his trunk.<p>

He could feel the stares of Sirius, Remus, and Peter as he took out everything he had from the trunk so he could hide it in the bottom corner.

"Prongs, mate-" Sirius said.

"I'm hiding the ring!"

"Oh, well, just keep making a mess of our dorm with the contents of your trunk. That's fine."

"I'll clean it up."

And he did, once he set it securely in place where he knew he'd be able to find it again. He magically folded all of his clothes and put all his books back in place before he closed the trunk and put the most complicated locking spell he knew on the trunk.

"It's going to be fine, James," Sirius said.

"I'm just making sure."

James sat down at the edge of his bed, and then with barely a second thought, laid down across it. He didn't know why he felt so tired so quickly. He just did.

And then he thought about it. He bought a ring for Lily. That ring would be on Lily's hand very soon. It would mean they would be getting married and be together for the rest of their lives, which he hoped would be a very long time. They would be committed completely to each other.

He smiled at that, and then thought about how nice it would to have a family with Lily. Have a couple children; work as an Auror maybe, or for Dumbledore like he wanted James to. Maybe the war would be over sooner than they thought and James and Lily could live happily in Godric's Hollow with sons and daughters. He couldn't wait.

"We should have gotten Firewhiskey," Sirius said as he made a piece of spare parchment float around the room with his wand. Currently it was hovering over James' head, inching its way closer to his face.

"A toast?" Remus asked.

"Of course! I mean, Lily and James are going to tie the knot. Why not?"

"Let's wait until after she says yes, Padfoot," James said.

"She'll say yes. She wants to be Mrs. Lily Potter."

James really hoped so.

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><p><em>TBC by Phantom, my twin, and then myself again. This story will be four chapters long. Thanks for reading! :D<em>


	2. Sirius: The Very Best Man

A Marauder Proposal:

Sirius - The Very Best Man

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><p>This chapter was written by The Fair Phantom and the next will be written by Westwerk from a different perspective (any guesses?). This is a joint project like "Life Before Everything" and many others that we have planned. We do not own the Harry Potter series.<p>

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><p>Sirius Black woke up in his school uniform. Following his routine, he sat up and stretched before smelling his shirt and lazily casting a freshening charm on it. Finally, he opened his eyes.<p>

A little light streamed in from the tall windows, casting a glow on the room. The red and gold of the dorm always put him in good spirits, but it wasn't nearly as pleasing as the sight of friends all around.

Remus continued to snore loudly. He had barely managed to reach his bed before falling asleep and only about half his body lay on the mattress. James had pulled sheets over his head at some point, probably while still conscious.

Last, Sirius focused on the only other awake marauder. Peter had probably been watching him for a while by then, but Sirius chose not to think about that.

"Morning, Peter. Wake up Remus for me."

Peter hopped out of bed, not caring that Every Flavor beans spilled all over his pillow.

Sirius got to his feet and stretched once more before making his way over to James.

"Back. Off." He heard Remus say. He glanced back to see Peter drop the chocolate bars he'd grabbed and scamper under the bed.

His problem, however, would not be so easy to solve. "James-y," he sang.

No response.

"Prongs?"

Nothing. Not even a groan.

Not even a prank could handle something this big. He'd just retaliate, and they had a wedding to get to…eventually. This called for extreme measures. "Lily is waiting for you."

The response was immediate, though slightly muffled by pillows. "Tell her she's free. Her boyfriend is hopeless, and she's free to find a new one."

Sirius backed up and licked his lips. Honestly. How would Prongs survive without him?

"Oh Lilllyyyyyyy!" he screamed, but not before casting a wordless secrecy charm around them. "You can go out with Snivellus now!"

James scrambled out of bed and tripped over his blankets, rolling up in them before hopping over and tackling Sirius.

All the taller boy saw was a pair of hands, shaped as claws, grabbing for him as a giant mass fell right on his chest.

A part of Sirius knew he should have expected that, but he hadn't thought it could hurt so much. His head slammed against the post of one bed and the hard, wooden floor.

A loud squeak sounded out from somewhere nearby.

He waited a moment for the insides of his head to stop vibrating before trying to reason with James, who made it difficult by keeping a hand over his mouth.

He had no choice. He bit James.

"Ow!"

Finally, Sirius got the chance to open his mouth.

"I just said what you told me to!"

"Not that! NOT THAT!" he shouted. James immediately then jumped up and turned to face the girls dorms. "LILY! SIRIUS IS LYING!"

"There is a privacy charm," he said, finally getting off the floor.

Seven years together, and still so little was expected of him. Sirius didn't know if he should be pleased or disappointed.

James maintained a little of the slight craze in his eyes. "Yes, but…oh."

Sirius gave him a moment to sort that out, but James was faster than he expected.

"You bit me!" James said in bewilderment. He didn't look at Sirius, but at his hand instead. It didn't even look red.

Sirius didn't get the chance to reply.

"Poorly trained," Remus added from over on his bed. He then had to stifle a yawn.

"Well-trained, given bad influences," Sirius corrected him.

Remus could only smile and shove another book into his bag. At times, he could be worse than the professors.

Sirius ruffled James' hair then grabbed a piece of parchment. "Class time," he muttered, sure they were already late. "Come on, Wormtail," he said grabbing the rat by the tail and swinging him upside down.

Remus got up and walked past them, still smoothing his hair down as he left. They'd discovered some grey in there a few days ago and teased him to no end. Sirius still chuckled at the memory, but he could always bring that up later in the day.

He tossed Wormtail into Remus' bag, entirely unnoticed by the werewolf. Then he stopped and turned around, facing James.

His best friend had taken a seat once more, slumped over, and he didn't look like he was about to move.

"You have about five seconds before McGonagall gives you a detention."

It was probably less, but Sirius didn't like to deal with technicalities.

James kept his head down, allowing the overgrown hair to shield his face.

"Lily has that class," James whined. Sirius almost thought he heard him whimper too.

He put his hands in his pockets and sighed. "Lily is in most of our classes."

"I don't want to go." Hazel eyes pleaded with Sirius as if he had all the answers.

This was really hurting his chances at being a best man, and Lily would undoubtedly have some hot bridesmaids. "You don't want to see your girlfriend? I think that's not a good sign for your marriage."

"Shut up." This sounded more abrupt and harsh than his last answers had been.

Sirius sighed and took a seat next to him. This would be a long conversation.

"Just think of how pretty she will be on your wedding." And the bridesmaids… The many, many bridesmaids…

"Lily is always pretty." Of course. He should have known. James was hopeless.

Sirius threw his hands in the air and looked to the ceiling. "See? That's why you want to go see her in class."

James groaned and rolled back, grabbing a pillow to put over his face. Now all that Sirius could see of his friend were maroon lions. "Great. I'm a shallow loser. Lily hates that I'm a shallow loser. She only agreed to date me because she thinks I'm not a shallow loser anymore."

Sirius shrugged and leaned back to make himself more comfortable. Who cares? It was all in the past. "No, she just thought you were a shallow bully."

James whimpered. Sirius had to roll his eyes.

"James, you are not shallow, or a loser, or a bully, and you are going to marry the sweet, and generous, and kind Miss Lily Evans."

"No, I'm not." And this is the guy that ran around with a werewolf every month…

Sirius massaged his own temples. "James, I may be your best friend, and your best man, but I'm going to kill you before your wedding."

"No wedding."

"Yes, wedding." He'd put too much work into this. It. Would. Happen. He owed it to James, Mr and Mrs Potter for all their help, and all the future Potters.

His friend peaked out from under the pillow. A pair of hazel eyes went wide, apparently with pain. "Why?"

"Because at least one marauder has to get married, and you're our only hope," he calmly explained.

No way would he get married. How could he break so many hearts? Everyone has expected this from James for years.

Getting no response to that, he added, "And because you want to."

"No."

Great, James. Act like a four year old. A four year old planned get married. Isn't that illegal?

Sirius tried to maintain some patience by concentrating on smoothing down the wrinkles of his shirt. He thought of getting Moony to help (Peter would be hopeless here), but decided that he didn't dare leave James alone for a second. "Deep down, you want to," he reminded his friend.

"Do not."

Sirius threw his hands into the air. "Then what did you get the ring for?"

Sirius allowed his dear friend a moment to think.

"To torture myself."

"…really." He'd believe that, though the stench of their room was getting to be torture enough for him. Maybe he should clean a little…someday.

"I can stare at it forever and know exactly how stupid I am."

"That's stupid." And he was bored of their dorm room. This was such a pointless conversation. James would marry Lily, and Sirius would go over to bug them every day. It was written in the stars.

"Yes I am!"

Ouch. This was bad.

Sirius sighed, but they were finally getting somewhere. McGonagall would kill them, but he could politely explain later. She liked that. "Why do you think you are stupid?"

James muttered something that even Sirius could not decipher.

"Why?" he repeated.

"I can't propose."

Sirius pulled at his hair - not usually one of his reactions to stress. "James, you are a Gryffindor!"

"I'm not scared!" James said, finally uncovering his face. At last, Sirius could hear him properly. "I'm stupid! I don't know how to propose. I have no idea. It won't work and Lily is not going to marry me and Lily will get angry at me for wasting her time and I will apologize and she won't forgive me and I'll pine outside her house for the next twenty years until her children are at Hogwarts and I'll…die."

Sirius pondered it for a moment. "Sounds like a plan."

"Sirius!"

Sirius looked around for inspiration. He noticed the tie he'd been missing all week sitting under a bed, but then looked away. He hadn't seen that.

Finally, Sirius got to his feet and clapped his hands to get James' attention. "Look, there are some simple rules you need to follow if you want to propose. Get those down, and all will be well. You'll be married, and she'll be stuck with you for life."

"Really?" He sounded so hopeful.

Sirius shrugged the doubts away. All of them. "Sure! Girls are not that hard, and if anyone can read them, it's us. I was there when my fifth cousin twice removed on my mother's side proposed to my fourth cousin once removed on my father's side. I have experience with this. We can figure out the rules. You'll be fine."

James fixed his tie and messed his hair up a little since the pillow had smoothed it slightly. This showed promise. Maybe they could leave soon. "What are the rules?"

Improv. He can do improv. "Well, do you remember the name we picked out for your firstborn?"

"Yeah. Elvendork," James immediately replied. It felt good to know that all of their plans were still on track, if only he could get this wedding going.

Sirius smiled and nodded at his friends progress. "Of course. Great name. Unisex. But listen to me…at no time before the wedding can you mention this to her."

Actually, that was sound advice. Even Sirius found himself impressed by his own insight.

He paused for effect, but James interrupted the silence.

"No Elvendork? You were going to be the godfather."

Sirius made haste to explain. "Of course you still get Elvendork. You just can't tell Lily about Elvendork yet."

"OH! What else?"

James sat up a little straighter, sounding like an eager student. More like Remus than Snivellus, though.

"Well, you know all that stuff with Moony?" Sirius asked while running a hand through his own soft, silky hair.

"Furry problem?"

"Yeah." Good, but how to say this. "I know he says it's fine, but don't tell her. Just don't."

James cringed. "Er…too late."

Sirius groaned. It wasn't the werewolf stuff so much as the running around that Sirius worried would make Lily doubt their intelligence. She certainly wouldn't want to pass those brains on to a child.

James sighed. "Sirius, you realize you aren't really helping me with the proposal part."

"Oh, but that's easy!" How could he not know this? Always the same.

"Then help me!" Oh, he sounded desperate. Very desperate. Girls do odd things to people.

"Be patient!" Sirius shouted back. James glared at him. "…That's the first rule. Wait for the perfect moment."

"Yes, but when is that? We mentioned fairy lights. Where? What else? Come on! I'm asking her to marry me!"

Now James was also on his feet, pacing back and forth. His breathing sounded loud and shaky. Sirius grew dizzy from watching him.

"Wait until she's not yelling at you. It will be a dramatic moment, impossible to miss." With all the insanity going on, Sirius wondered if James would notice the joke or if he would truly listen. It worked either way.

James paused and turned to him, appearing entirely genuine and honest. "I hate you, Padfoot."

"And yet you still love me," Sirius said with a smile. Family. His family.

James immediately went back to pacing without responding to that. "And forget the place. How do I even propose at all? I'm asking her to spend the rest of her life with me."

"You did a nice job there," Sirius pointed out.

James stopped again. "Sirius."

Great. His name with that tone. Always with that tone. It sounded like his younger brother.

Sirius winced at the reminder of his past. Time to return to the important.

"Ok, here is what you do. You face Lily, just like this, and look her deep into the eyes. Then you get down on one knee, like this, and - "

The door opened. Mousy brown hair entered the room before a small set of eyes.

"Oh, sorry," Peter said. Red-faced, he shut the door and hurried back down the stairs.

James cracked up, finally, so Sirius only continued.

.He spoke with passion and kept his eyes round but glued to James. "And you say: Dear love, I wish for nothing more than to spend every day of the rest of my life with you. I know that facing the world outside of Hogwarts will not be nearly so difficult without you by my side. Please, make my heart whole. Will you marry me?"

Sirius paused as if waiting for the response. Weeks ago, James would have played along, or hit him for fun, or something great like that. Right now, he just hoped the guy would come back to life.

"That's so beautiful," someone said from the other side of the door.

Sirius frowned and got to his feet. "How much have you heard, Remus?"

"All of it. Can I be the best man?"

"I'm the best man," Sirius replied, beyond indignant. No one steals his job!

"But you have to get married," Remus pointed out, always practical.

James was still laughing, and Sirius decided to ignore Remus. He informed the werewolf of this, and then had two chuckling idiots to deal with.

"This is serious, James."

James moved to speak.

"Don't say it. This is a quality joke only room," Sirius insisted.

Surely James would remember that rule. It had been established in their third year, for truly necessary reasons. He could not forget it now. If so, he was lost to them.

"But - "

He knew where this was going. "That wasn't a joke. Say that, just like I did. Lily won't laugh."

James scoffed and closed his eyes, putting a hand over them as if he feared something he didn't dare look at…a basilisk in the room or similar. "We hope."

"Exactly." Wait. That wasn't what he'd meant.

James continued as if he hadn't said anything. Improvement! "But I want it to be personal. Not like everything everyone else does. That's so…generic."

"None of Peter's tradition stuff?" Sirius asked.

"None."

"Thank you." He'd had enough tradition to last him three lifetimes. Every day, every little thing.

Sirius shook his thoughts away. All in the past now.

James smiled.

"Well, then, I don't know what to tell you, except that you will do fine. You know Lily better than anyone. Just think of what she will like."

Remus decided to contribute to the conversation once more. His voice remained muffled by the door between them, but Sirius would not unlock it. "Flowers. She likes flowers."

Sirius continued to ignore him. He even placed himself between James and the door. "Forget what everyone else says. Just do what is perfect for her."

"But that's - "

Sirius held up a hand as he interrupted him. James may not have known it, but that hand was prepared to slap him, only if necessary of course. "Not perfect. You're setting your expectations too high. Just perfect for her."

"Animals. She likes animals too."

"Thanks, Remus," James said with a smile at the door.

Sirius was less impressed. "Shut up, Remus." He was just a guest, not the best man. Sirius got to be the hero of this story.

James shook his head and looked at the floor, crossing his arms in a way that showed more insecurity than aloofness. "Sirius, I still have no idea of what to do."

"Ah, but you _are_ getting married, yes?" At least they'd gotten over the whole pillow-over-head ordeal…until the wedding day anyway.

James smiled. "Yeah. I'm going to propose. I'm getting married."

Another voice came from the door, sounding truly confused. "Didn't we establish this two months ago?"

"Sorry, Remus," James said while Sirius turned away for a good laugh.

Sirius clapped, then rubbed his hands together. "Now, do you know what sweet Lily Evans soon-to-be-Potter will really love?"

"What?"

"The impressive vocabulary McGonagall displays when we walk in this late."

James laughed, open and freely. "Let's go."

They finally opened the door. Sirius extended a hand to help his friend off the floor where he'd been seated.

Remus then gave James a hug. Sirius had no idea why, but felt compelled to join it. He had a rule in his mind: no hugs without Sirius.

The other two laughed, and he had no choice to join.

"Where is Peter?" James asked.

Remus shrugged. It turned out lopsided because of the number of books hanging from one shoulder. "He went to class. McGonagall scares him. He didn't want to get detention again…I'm not going to love this," he said.

"We just have to think of a really good excuse," Sirius replied. Hadn't he learned this after seven years? What had their education been for!

"Like what?" Remus asked. Suspicion rang out from his tone – so much of it.

"We discovered a secret monster hidden inside the castle," James said as they exited the common rooms, entering the hall.

Remus shook his head and looked to the heavens for help, but Sirius saw a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Right. One with three heads," Sirius added.

"And we had to fight it off before…" Remus said.

"Running into an escaped convict," Sirius said in contribution. James jumped and cheered at this idea.

"But we actually teamed up with him to - " Remus added.

"Fight the army of dementors that had followed him," James said. He had taken to walking backwards so they formed an odd sort of moving triangle. He looked around with frightened expressions as if he saw a real army of dementors headed their way.

"As we were armed only with Remus' bar of chocolate," Sirius continued.

The group turned a corner. "But we managed to escape with - " Remus said.

They passed a large statue. "The help of a baby giant," Sirius said.

"That has a serious crush on Remus…It's perfect!" James finished.

"Why Remus? Who gets a crush on Remus?" Sirius asked. Had he not been in the room?

Remus rolled his eyes. "Aw, shut up, Sirius."

James wrapped his arms around the shoulders of his two closest friends.

"You're in a better mood," Remus said. An observative friend, that one was.

"I know exactly what I'm going to do," James said.

"Really?" Sirius asked. Even he was surprised this time. After all that work, it had taken him a few seconds of jokes?

A sly grin slid onto Prongs' face, reminding Sirius of many, many good times. "And I'm going to need your help."


End file.
